envy, revenge and cruelty. If there were no law of God at all, which of thofe tribes of affections is moft defirable of itself, or moft conducive to our inward comfort and peace?

If we try this matter by experience, let us afk the children of God, whether they have found his fervice burdenfome; whether they would exchange a meek, thankful, and contented frame of fpirit, for the ftorms of rage, envy, or ambition. Do they look with a jealous or envious eye, on the liberty of wicked men? on the contrary, they would not exchange with any of them, a prison for a palace, or a fcaffold for a throne. Perhaps, though there is great blindness in the understanding itself, of wicked men, we may learn the truth even from their experience and confeffions. We many times hear them acknowledge their bondage; and when they do not explicitly acknowledge it, yet it is easy to perceive it. You never hear a bad man taking comfort to himself, from the evil he has done, but fometimes comparatively from the greater evil that they have not done. Without going particularly through every minute circumftance, let us juft fay in general, that whether we confider the inward temper, or the outward practice, our relations, business, and enjoyments in life, or hope for futurity, we cannot in any inftance depart from the commandments of God, without at the fame time acting contrary to our own manifeft intereft fo that Wisdom fays with great truth and juftice, Prov. viii. 36. "He that finneth against me, "wrongeth his own foul: all they that hate me, love "death."

4. The Redeemer's yoke is eafy, and his burden light, because he has given the moft free and gracious invitation to finners to return to God. By his fufferings he purchased their pardon, and is invefted with full authority to negociate peace. "Thus it is written, and thus it be"hoved him to fuffer, that repentance and remiffion of fins," &c. What we are particularly to remember upon this fubject is, that the invitation is without referve or exception, to all of every character, however deep and aggravated their offences. If. i. 18. "Come now, and let "us reafon together, faith the Lord: though your fins be

"as fcarlet, they fhall be as white as fnow; though they be red like crimson, they fhall be as wool." 1 Tim. i, 15. "This is a faithful faying, and worthy of all accep"tation, that Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave fin. "ners; of whom I am chief." The offer is alfo free as to the terms, without any coftly or meriting condition. Ifa. lv. 1. "Ho every one that thirfleth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money and "without price." Rev. xxii. 17. "And the fpirit and "the bride fay, come; and let him that heareth fay, come; "and let him that is athirft come; and whofoever will, "let him take the water of life freely."" Can there be any thing more encouraging than thefe gracious invitations? Here it is that we ought to take in the wife and happy conftitution of the Redeemer's perfon, as the fon of man, as well as the fon of God, and the meeknefs and gentleness of his difpofition, this was prophefied of him of old, Ifaiah xlii. 1,.2, 3. "Behold my fervant whom I uphold; mine

elect, in whom my foul delighteth: I have put my fpirit ❝ upon him, he fhall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. "He fhall not cry, nor lift up, nor caufe his voice to be "heard in the ftreet. A bruifed reed fhall he not break; "and the fmoaking flax fhall he not quench: he shall

bring forth judgment unto truth." This was beautifully and admirably fulfilled by his appearance in the flesh, by the meannefs of his birth, though not of his parentage, by the poverty and felf-denial of his life, by the meeknefs and lowlinefs of his carriage, not only through life, but in the laft and fuffering ftage of it; for he endured the contradiction of finners against himfelf; when he was reviled, he reviled not again. So that he might with the greatest juftice fay as in the context, take my y oke.

5. The Redeemer's yoke is eafy, and his burden light, because he hath made abundant provifion of divine ftrength, to enable us to keep his commandments. How gracious thefe laws, when the law-giver communicates. ftrength for performance? This takes away all objection, and removes every difficulty. What is impoffible with man, is poffible with God. There is no heart fo hard, but

omnipotence is able to foften it; no temper fo depraved, but the Creator is able to renew it. The converfion of a finner is always confidered in scripture as the work of God. "God who at firft commanded the light to fhine out. "of darkness," &c. The promise of the new covenant is thus defcribed by Ezekiel xxxvi. 25. "Then will I แ fprinkle clean water upon you, and ye fhall be clean: "from all your filthinefs, and from all your idols, will I "cleanse you." And in the New Teftament, faith which unites us to Chrift, and every other good difpofition, is reprefented as the gift of God, Eph. ii. 8. "For by grace "are ye faved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: "it is the gift of God."

And as the converfion of finners to the daily growth of the fpiritual life, in believers, is to be imputed entirely to the fame caufe, for this end it was, that it pleafed the Father that all fullnefs fhould dwell in Chrift; and we have this teftimony from the apostle John i. 16. "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace

for

grace."

THE GLORY OF THE REDEEMER IN THE PERPETUITY

OF HIS WORK.

SERMON 35.

PSALM 1xxii. 17.

His name shall endure forever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun and men shall be blessed in him; all nations shall call him blessed.

ACTION SERMON.

MY BRETHREN,

TH

HE whole fyftem of Providence and grace was fixed in the eternal purpofe of God, before the foundation of the world. Hence he is reprefented, If. xlvi. 10. as, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient "times the things that are not yet done, faying, My coun"fel fhall ftand, and I will do all my pleafure." The writings of the Old Teftament give us the hiftory of the feveral openings of this plan, during that difpenfation, in which we may obferve almoft continual references to the appearance of an illuftrious perfon, at a certain important period, called the fulness of time.

The appearance of the Saviour in our nature, including his obedience, his fufferings and death, his triumphant refurrection and afcenfion, was an event fo aftonishing